Birders.... To my knowledge, this species has not been mentioned to date... Today, while trying to find some shorebird habitat, I checked out the Exeter lagoons, which does NOT have any shorebird habitat this spring, although, I did have 4 LONGTAILED DUCKS. I then went to GrandBend lagoons which normally has a cell that is productive for shorebirds. A WILSON"S PHALAROPE was in the last cell with a bunch of DUNLIN, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS.... As well, a good selection of duck species.... Grand Bend lagoons are a couple of miles along Mollard Line just off Highway 81 east of Grand Bend... Although posted No Trespassing, birders are generally tolerated. However, this in no way implies that you should trespass... Exeter lagoons are on Airport line south of 83 highway west of Exeter. Exeter does however require an access permit to be displayed on your dashboard.... Good Birding, Rick Thornton Exeter...
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Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.4/320 - Release Date: 4/20/2006 From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Apr 22 19:14:32 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from web88011.mail.re2.yahoo.com (web88011.mail.re2.yahoo.com [206.190.37.230]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with SMTP id B63DD64044 for <[email protected]>; Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:14:15 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 70834 invoked by uid 60001); 22 Apr 2006 23:14:16 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=rogers.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=r6s3kssthEKKETxewhwjaPmM4r0SkKCav+JZDFBi2DidN1BJBathtT0pExLUscGp3+tITsM1bn/OXSLnVUDAXzbNOFX2jJm5yIf/TSGE++alioKwq2l1TI8SmmTFQofcNJohNQYoeU8dwQCgzmuqKLYPEvFBtxt/uDyV2HJEexY= ; Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Received: from [72.58.152.249] by web88011.mail.re2.yahoo.com via HTTP; Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:14:16 EDT Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:14:16 -0400 (EDT) From: RON FLEMING <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: OFO Bird Sightings <[email protected]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1 Subject: [Ontbirds] Purple Martin, Mockingbird, Thrasher, etc. - Col. Sam Park Etobicoke X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:14:32 -0000 After dropping my wife off at the airport this afternoon I decided to try for the Harlequin Duck at Col. Sam Smith Park. I spent over two hours looking for the bird but did not find it. It may still be around, but my viewing was compromised by a cold, steady rain and strong east winds (that I spent a foolish amount of time walking into). Despite the inhospitable elements, there was plenty of bird activity. A mix of well over a hundred TREE, ROUGH-WINGED and BARN SWALLOWS was hawking insects up and down the shoreline and - at the base of 10th St. where Rotary Park meets the lake - there was a single PURPLE MARTIN joining the aerobatics. This adult male bird kept flying to - and landing on - a white martin house in one willowed yard that backs onto the bay there. Since this species of aerial forager has been declining noticeably over the past few years, the views are worth savouring. Just east of the yacht club at Col. Sam there was one N. MOCKINGBIRD and one BROWN THRASHER foraging around the shrubs in front of six very accomodating RED-NECKED GREBES. Duck species in the area included Long-tailed Duck, Am. Wigeon, RB Merganser, Bufflehead, Redhead, Gadwall, and Lsr. Scaup. There was also a Horned Grebe in breeding plumage, several Cm. Loons,, two CASPIAN TERNS and - inland by a short bit - numerous RC Kinglets and N. Flickers. DC Cormorants were everywhere. Ron Fleming, Newmarket P.S. The OFO trip that I am leading to Tiny Marsh (west of Barrie) is still on for tomorrow, but the weather forecast looks a little gloomy. Meeting time and place is 8:00 a.m. at the SW commuter parking lot @ Hwys. 400 and 9 (Hwy. 9 is Davis Drive out of Newmarket). DIRECTIONS: To reach Col. Sam Smith Park (Located west of Toronto on the Lakeshore): exit from the Gardiner Expressway at Kipling and go south to the park entrance just south of Lakeshore Blvd. Continue past the Humber College bldgs and the yacht club, then park at the road's end, where a large cul-de-sac is located. I have not birded here before but I'm glad I went down today. It looks like a great migration spot - many thanks to those who post about it. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Apr 22 23:53:06 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from smtp.vianet.ca (smtp.vianet.ca [209.91.128.40]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 8740863B65 for <[email protected]>; Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:52:47 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 1522 invoked from network); 23 Apr 2006 03:52:44 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO ?209.91.149.10?) (209.91.149.10) by smtp.vianet.ca with SMTP; 23 Apr 2006 03:52:44 -0000 User-Agent: Microsoft-Entourage/10.1.0.2006 Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:52:15 -0400 From: Ron Tozer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: ontbirds <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Subject: [Ontbirds]OFO Trip: Algonquin Park (April 22) X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 03:53:06 -0000 An enthusiastic group of about 45 OFO members and friends birded Algonquin Park today in challenging weather (light rain and windy). The results were limited by the conditions, but interesting nonetheless. We started at the West Gate, where a Field Sparrow was at the feeder. The year's first Barn Swallow had appeared there briefly prior to the arrival of most participants. Our first stop was Spruce Bog Boardwalk for Spruce Grouse where a male had been seen regularly all week. Despite playing a tape of a female's calls, and 45 people spreading out to search through the sopping wet conifers, we could not find this target species. However, this spring's first Greater Yellowlegs was noted on the pond along Sunday Creek, although few people got to see it. The next location visited was Opeongo Road, where a calling female Spruce Grouse and a displaying male had been observed last week. Again, despite playing the tape, there was initially no response. Persistence paid off, however, as eventually a female Spruce Grouse did call back, on the ground under thick conifer cover near the road. Everybody got to see it, and this was a life species for several participants. On the way back down the Opeongo Road we got to see and feed Gray Jays, always a highlight of this trip. Lunch at the Visitor Centre got us out of the rain for the first time all morning, and birds at the feeder there included Purple Finch and Fox Sparrow. Our last major stop involved driving up the Arowhon Road and walking along the railway bed to West Rose Lake. Birds were scarce there as well, but the scenery was worth the walk even though the rain persisted. Thanks to all who came and had fun despite the weather. Ron Tozer
